Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X V 4 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E Q UA L I T Y O F L I F E T here are all kinds of myths that surround Maine, but one of the phrases that lives on is, "You can't get there from here." I would put a twist on that and say, you can get here from there. We spend a lot of time and energy in Maine de- bating how to build the economy, how to overcome an aging and static population and how to attract both people and capital other areas (or from away, as it's sometimes said). A common misconception is that Maine is full of Mainers — born and bred natives who have lived here generations and say things like "hee-ah" and "ah-yup." While there are of course many people in Maine who fit that generalization, you're more likely to meet some- one who moved here from Massachusetts, New York, California, Ohio or the like. I was born in Iowa City and moved here from Philadelphia. It's common to hear that someone had a connec- tion to Maine before moving here: Summer camp, college, vacations, spouse's family. As our correspondent Laurie Schreiber, a Connecticut native who now lives on Mount Desert Island, reports in "Why Maine?" (P. 8), companies are looking to Maine because of its educated work- force, moderate labor costs and affordable commercial space. She cites AthenaHealth as an example of a Massachusetts-based company whose CEO, Jonathan Bush, had a connection to Maine, having vacationed here when he was growing up. AthenaHealth has 900 employees in Belfast, on the midcoast. As Mainebiz has reported, a number of com- panies "from away" are investing significantly in Maine: Plano, Texas-based Tyler Technologies; Burlington, Mass.-based Collaborative Consulting; and Boston-based Wayfair, to name just a few. Lori Valigra, a Mainebiz senior writer who is a Pennsylvania native and moved to Maine from Cambridge, Mass., reports that while Maine could not be mistaken for Silicon Valley or the Route 128 corridor, capital is flowing into the state. In "Maine: A place to vacation and invest?" (P. 46), she quotes Tom Ciccolella, an venture capital specialist at PwC, as saying: "e number of deals shows there's more appetite [for invest- ing]. e deals have almost doubled since 2012 and 2013." James McCarthy, another Mainebiz senior writer and an Ohio native, writes about Maine's efforts to re- vitalize its rural areas. In "Rural economic development takes flight" (P. 74), the point is made that Maine's elected leaders are finding necessary capital to upgrade the state's airports, which are a lifeline for commerce. is issue of Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine also includes our list of Maine's Top 10 Iconic Brands. ese are consumer brands and in- clude some household names, including L.L.Bean and Stonewall Kitchen (pictured above), to name just two. e list is subjective — and open to debate. But Maine's wider economy is serious stuff. It includes universities, research facilities (including Jackson Laboratories, pictured) defense contractors, the fisheries, forest products and specialty phar- maceutical companies (including Apothecary by Design, pictured). By giving Maine a look we think you'll see that it is indeed a good place to do business. Pe t er Van Al l en, Mainebiz editor, can be reached at pvanallen @ mainebiz.biz and @MainebizEditor Don't worry, you can get here from there Maine welcomes people 'from away' B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n Maine fact sheet Demographics Population 2014: 1.3 million State Capital: Augusta Largest City: Portland Land Area: 33,215 square miles/86,027 sq. km Length of coastline: 3,500 miles/ 5,633 km Lakes and ponds: 6,000 Forest: 17 million acres/6.9 million hec (90% forest) Location: Northeast USA, bordering Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec Same-day access to: Boston, New York, Montreal Economy GDP 2013: $54.8 billion Per capita income GDP 2013: $26,824 Annual Real GDP Growth 2013: 0.90% State budget, 2016–2017: $6.7 billion Exports Maine 2014: $2.8 billion Imports via Maine 2014: $3.9 billion Transportation Interstate highways: 2 Deep-water ports: 3 International airports – scheduled service: 2 Airports with customs service: 10 Rail: 1,400 miles/2,253 km International rail facility: 1 Foreign Trade Zones: 5 Key Sectors Aerospace & Advanced Materials Environmental Technology Food, Beverage & Agricultural Products Hospitality & Tourism Information Technology Life Sciences Marine Construction & Technology Pulp, Paper & Wood Products Renewable Energy S O U R C E : Invest in Maine P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F S T O N E WA L L K I T C H E N P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / L E S L I E BOW M A N John Stiker, left, CEO of Stonewall Kitchen, with Jonathan King, one of the two founders. Edison Liu, president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory. Apothecary by Design principals Catherine Cloudman, Tom Madden, middle, and Mark McAuliffe.

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